1. John Mark McMillan - Economy
2. Mount Moriah - s/t
3. Drive-By Truckers - Go Go Boots
4. Wilco - The Whole Love
5. Gungor - Ghosts Upon Earth
6. Farewell Milwaukee - When It Sinks In
7. Low - C'Mon
8. Kurt Vile - Smoke Rings For My Halo
9. Middle Brother - s/t
10. Eddie Vedder - Ukulele Songs
11. Gillian Welch - The Harrow & The Harvest
12. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit - Here We Rest
13. Thurston Moore - Demolished Thoughts/Solo Acoustic vol. 5
14. Mike Watt - Hyphenated-Man
15. Sonic Youth - Simon Werner a Disparu
16. Little Hurricane - Homewrecker
17. D.Charles Speer & The Helix - Leaving The Commonwealth
18. The Boston Spaceships - Let It Beard
19. Mountaineer - The Real McQueen
20. The Luyas - Too Beautiful To Work

Also receiving votes:
Woodsman - Rare Forms
EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints
Cat's Eye - s/t
Ladybug Transistor - Clutching Stems
John Stammers - s/t
City & Color - Little Hell
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo score
Chemical Bros. - Hanna Soundtrack
Those Darlins - Screws Get Loose

You guys and your end-of-year lists: this is my favorite time of year. I could never keep up with all the stuff that comes out, helps me find stuff if the library decides to stock it. That John Mark McMillan apparently is a Christian artist. First few track listens for me....probably the first "Christian" artist I've been able to really seem to LIKE in decades. Thanks.

He is. But, he's not the standard CCM-style. In my opinion, he's one of the best songwriters working right now, and he just happens to be in a niche genre that most people overlook because of all the horrible stuff. Same with Gungor.

Nice. Don't know anything about your top 2 or several other things on there.

Great to see that Mike Watt album on a list. It'll be on mine.

Man, Go Go Boots; you are twice the DBT Kool Aid drinker as I, sir.

Lotsa good stuff here fo sure.

Haha. Well, the best way I can sum it up is this--I heard that album live more times than any other record this year, and I probably listened to it the most. It would've been no.1 by default but it has its weaknesses (that some would say is an understatement), but overall I think its much stronger than TBTD, and more complete record than BTCD.

Ray's Automatic Weapon, Cartoon Gold, and the whole GGB story songs are under-appreciated for sure.

Grabbing that John Mark McMillan now

I had a similar thought but couldn't come up with as diplomatic way to say it.

Skeleton Bones from his last record.


Seen A Darkness

Highly rec all the Take Away Shows where he previewed all the songs before the release of the record.

Skeleton Bones seems like a decent song. Interesting--I'd seen that album cover around, but had just dismissed it as "same ol' same ol'," but looks like I was wrong.


I sampled his first CD back when that came out and thought he held promise.
Might have to do some investigation and see what his recent stuff has been like.

"Cartoon Gold" has become one of my all-time favorite DBT tunes. There's definitely some great stuff on GGB, but also some real clunkers.

I probably need to revisit that Boston Spaceships - seems I remember there were more than a couple of gems on that one.

Didn't know you were into that EMA album.

It was a late-bloomer. If I had more time with it, it might've crested into the top 20. I really wanna see her live.

Nice, Matt. Wilco might make my top 5 as well.

Really surprised at no GGD given how much you liked Saint Dymphna.

I am really unfamiliar with most of this. If there is anything on here you think would I would dig I would certainly check it out though.

I spent some time with new GGD, but it didn't click. Doing that radio show I got so burned on the experimental/noisy stuff. I still have only dipped my toe back into the waters. I still read a bunch of blogs but I'm just so out of it at the moment.

I think you should check out that D.Charles Speer. The rest, I dunno if you'd dig. I know you've probably checked out the TMoore and SYR releases. Little Hurricane is what I feel like Black Keys should've put out this year. Boston Spaceships is a good rock record, and Mountaineer...hmmm, you might dig Mountaineer.

Here's a good write-up:
http://magneticnortherners.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/mountaineer-the-real-mcqueen/